The weather for our fourth day in Yosemite National Park wasn’t very conducive to photography so I decided to leave a bit early and try to capture some of the scenery on Highway 41 while leaving the park. I did however take a few final snaps of Yosemite (including the nefarious tree below; I’ve never been able to create a photo that matches my mind’s eye and that’s extremely frustrating for me). I was also able to get a photo of a rainbow at the base of Upper Yosemite Falls.

This is my dead tree nemesis. One day I’ll take a photo of this tree that I consider portfolio worthy–hopefully.

Rainbow at Lower Yosemite Falls.

Me taking a photo of the rainbow at lower Yosemite.
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Stump.

Photo of me taking a photo of Lower Yosemite Falls (from another angle).
Photo Courtesy of Vanessa Stump.

Where we stayed for this trip. It was luxurious accommodations compared to my usual digs.

Barn photo taken from the shoulder Highway 41.

Tired Tree off Highway 41

Interesting trees and rocks abound on the side of the road on Highway 41.

An orchard in bloom off the side of Highway 41.

That’s a falcon on top of the power line pole.

The third day in Yosemite National Park was the "money day" of our trip. Nature photography is often about being in the right place at the right time and day 3 proved that rule. There was five or six inches of snowfall overnight and although the snow started to melt with the rising sun, for a few morning hours, Yosemite was a winter wonderland. Later in the day I was also blessed by the appearance of more deer and a coyote!

This second day of our Yosemite National Park trip was plagued by intermittent rain. Although it was quite cold, it wasn’t cold enough to snow. That being said, the storm did bring some nice cloud cover–which is always a treat in the Yosemite Valley. The wildlife was also out and about and I was able to capture some "wildlife in the wild" shots! But overall, for most of the day, the weather was pretty miserable and I think that my photography reflects that feeling.

We arrived in Yosemite National Park on a cold and rainy day with a storm clouds wreathing the valley summits from El Capitan to Half Dome. Upper Yosemite Falls wasn’t often visible and the top of the lower falls was also frequently hidden in the mists. Since I didn’t have any serious photography missions planned for the last few hours of that first day, I was satisfied with becoming reacquainted with Yosemite–the place I love so much. Here are just a few photos to illustrate the weather on Day 1. Stay tuned to this blog; I’ll post many more photos from this trip at a later date.